Michael Masi will no longer serve as Formula One’s race director
(Picture: Getty Images)Michael Masi has been removed from his role as Formula One’s race director in the aftermath of November’s hugely controversial season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed in a video update released on Thursday afternoon that the post would now alternate between senior FIA officials Eduardo Frietas and Niels Wittich - assisted by ex-Charlie Whiting deputy Herbie Blash - as part of a restructure of race control initiated following the highly-contentious climax to the 2022 title race between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Masi, meanwhile, is set to be offered a different, as yet unspecified role within the FIA body moving forward.
The Australian was subject to staunch criticism after events in Abu Dhabi, when Hamilton was passed by rival Verstappen on the final lap at Yas Marina Circuit in controversial circumstances after only some lapped cars were allowed to pass the safety car.
Masi was accused of not following the established rules and bowing to pressure from Red Bull, much to the fury of Mercedes, Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff, who launched unsuccessful protests.
In a video released at the same time as Ferrari’s car launch and a day before Mercedes and Hamilton are due to present their new W13 machine, Sulayem said: "I would like to inform you that a new race management team will be put in place starting in Barcelona for the test session next week.
"Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas will act alternatively as race director, assisted by Herbie Blash as permanent senior advisor.
"Michael Masi, who accomplished a very challenging job for three years as Formula 1 race director following Charlie Whiting, will be offered a new position within the FIA."
As part of further structural reforms and refereeing changes in F1, Sulayem also confirmed that a virtual race control room will be created for races during the 2022 season, based in FIA offices and operating broadly similarly to VAR in football.
Direct radio communications between the pit wall and race director will no longer be broadcast on live television in order to protect the latter from pressure and allow him to “take decisions peacefully”.
However, teams will still be able to ask the race director questions during races as part of what Sulayem described as a “well-defined and non-intrusive process”.
Lapping procedures behind the safety car are also set to be reassessed by the F1 Sporting Advisory Committee and presented to the F1 Commission before the new campaign gets underway in March.
